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Unfortunately, there doesn't seem to be a definitive answer on this one. I have asked four different surgeons, and I have pretty much gotten four different answers. I have heard no - not at all; yes, absolutely; and two sort of in between. You'll hear people speak of the "big co-morbids." I think most insurance companies require a big one (or at least one)...and I think the smaller co-morbids (PCOS, joint pain, GERD) can really support your case. But I'm not quite sure PCOS will stand on its own. I have hypertension and I'm hoping to use PCOS as another reason to approve me. On a side note, it absolutely should be considered a co-morbid - causes high blood pressure, increases risk of diabetes, causes weight gain AND losing weight is the best way to manage it = seems like a no brainer to me.

My husband and I have been married for 39 years from the time I was a size 8 to my heaviest and back down again. We have had our ups and downs totally unrelated to my weight gain and we have gone to counseling in the past. Since I can not get inside your heads or your marriage, I think it is important for you both to deal with your feelings and perhaps discuss it with a counselor. There may be someone within the lap band community who can talk to the two of you, otherwise you might want to talk with a counselor before the surgery to better handle the upcoming situtations.

Coming from someone who was thin when i met my husband then gained 100 plus pds then lost 100 plus pounds the weight changes you . The weight changed my personality , before my weight gain i had a up beat, fun loving, out going personality , After wards i was nearly a shut in . Did not want to be around people, did not want to go anywhere, did not want to be seen . NOW If you ask my husband ( and people have ) how does it feel to have a thin wife or how do you feel that your wife have surgery . his answer is this " I got my wife BACK" And that is exactly how i feel . I am my old self and then some. So if your spouse asks you if your going to change its not fair to tell them no , becuase i can all but guarantee you you will. BUT You can tell them " I will be more fun, more active and more myself , i will be the real person i was meant to b e " If you feel like your an outgoing , fun loving talkactive person now , you will be that once you lose the weight and THEN Some. If your sort of a home body now , you probably will not want to sit at home anymore. If your spouse does , that is usually where the problem comes in . So counseling before hand is a good idea if you think you will become different ( and different is not bad ) than what you are now . Mindy

I've been reading a lot of the posts and absorbing as much information as I can. From what I can see (and please let me know if I'm wrong) weight lost pre op and after surgery is staying off. 1-2 pounds per weeks sounds like so little but the fact it isn't coming back is a big one. Weight does flucuate(sp) during teh course of a day or week. My weight history is (and from what I can see this is normal for everyone who has chosen LB) Loosing 10-20 even 30 lbs happens but then it comes back with it friends and relatives. Has there been anyone who has experienced weight gain (what is lost coming back with a vengence) since they have been banded? (of course I don't mean anyone who has gotten preganant since banding - new baby growing weight doesn't count) I'm hoping to be banded in January. I've already gotten my insurance approval and see the surgeon on the 11/24.

Morning! Glad to see you back Terry :tongue2:) Violet dreams are the best, I get a kick out of em! I am at 227lbs, so YAAAAAAAY I plateaud with the weight gain and even lost 3lbs. Baby's heart is still strong and all that.. I check it every night. I'm reading the worst drinks list-- "Caffeine abstainers will find little nutritional refuge in Starbucks' hot chocolate concoctions." HRMPH. Well, they provide yummyness in my belly, so.. Luckily the only time I go to Starbucks for their hot chocolate is when I am in Tunica because they have one in the lobby of our hotel. There's no convenient ones in town. We actually only have 1 (weird concept eh?) and it's at a walk up mall that you gotta park a mile away to get to. Not going through all that for a drink. I found my title last night. It ended up in my shirt drawer.. how does that even happen?? Now I don't know where to go, we have DMV with loooong lines, then the DMV satellite but they do specific stuff I'm not sure about, then the courthouse a city away where we got our licenses last year with no wait.. but I don't know if they do titles.. and of course no one has people that answer phones anymore, it's all automated generic info. Holy cow!

I was late in my third trimester before I saw weight gains as much as .5 - 1 lb per week. Gains that high are usually reserved for the third trimester, specifically the period that the baby is putting on fat. First trimester I didn't gain anything. Actually it was around week 20 before I gained anything. Then I would have no gain, no gain, gain 10 lbs. I got a 1cc unfill during my pregnancy. Now I am tighter than I was before the unfill. No idea why. The last few days I can barely keep anything down and am waiting on a callback for another unfill. Why I'm tighter "post delivery" with 1cc less fill than I had "pre pregnancy" - who knows. But this is no fun.

Hi there, my name is Jenn. I've always had a problem with my weight. I have only been small for very short periods of time, and never skinny. My family is riddled with diabetes and strokes. I desided to face the fact that diets really do fail over 90% of the time and they hadn't been the solution for me. I was banded in June. So far I've lost about 20lbs and have adjusted my diet many times. Even if this is all I ever lose, I have no regrets. It stopped a steady weight gain. Diets have never worked for me. I'm also a diabetic PCOS'er. So weightloss is slow, but I expected that. I am a semi-low carb eater and always looking for new recipes. I'll be posting here as much as possible to workout diet kinks. Also to get and give support. Take Care, Jenn :cool:

Hi there, my name is Jenn. I've always had a problem with my weight. I have only been small for very short periods of time, and never skinny. My family is riddled with diabetes and strokes. I desided to face the fact that diets really do fail over 90% of the time and they hadn't been the solution for me. I was banded in June. So far I've lost about 20lbs and have adjusted my diet many times. Even if this is all I ever lose, I have no regrets. It stopped a steady weight gain. Diets have never worked for me. I'm also a diabetic PCOS'er. So weightloss is slow, but I expected that. I am a semi-low carb eater and always looking for new recipes. I'll be posting here as much as possible to workout diet kinks. Also to get and give support. Take Care, Jenn

Amanda- I still see my life coach once a month. I think it is money well spent. I am hoping to go to an as needed basis after the first of the year. It has been over a year since I started seeing her and she is just a great source of support for me. I think I am finally settling into my band. Quite a few people at work noticed how much I've lost and are in awe so far. It feels good to get compliments and encouragement from co-workers. I had a few rough weeks but no weight gain (thank goodness). Where the heck is Jonathan???? Shall we go to New York and hunt him down?

Hey Laura, INGDirect has great rates on cd's with no minimum. I think you could put a dollar in a cd if you wanted. I think if you are interested I can get you $25 by being a member? Let me know. I just got a cd that will be due at tax time, so I can pay my taxes (remember I am self employed!). Slept late this morning and feel a little better!!! It sounds like we all need a K.I.T.A. The holidays are coming and that is just another reason for us to beat ourselves up over weight gain. We need to lose, or maintain during this time.

Hi Beauty. Don't sweat the slight weight gain on the supervised diet. If you lost great on that you wouldn't need the band. I wouldn't worry too much about the coordinator, either. I'm sure the staff is too busy to call all the patients and let everybody know......would have been nice, though. Anyway, good luck.

I just wanted to, as a nurse, that there are low dose birth control methods that you can try that do not cause weight gain. My fav is the NuvaRing. Its the lowest dose of hormone possible and it only works where it needs to and doesn't effect the entire body like oral pills do. Hope this helps because as i want you to lose the weight I don't want you to get pregnant if you don't want to :thumbup:.

I like nessa, have a scale in the kitchen. I weigh myself just once a day. I think that has kept me on track. If I am up a couple of pounds I can get rid of it right away. I like to nip it in the bud, quick. I also can tell what foods agree with my weight loss and which ones hinder it. I have noticed for me too many veggies cause weight gain.(probably gas), without my scale, and daily checks, I wouldn't notice that. I love my scale.

Good morning ladies! I just finished my breakfast. 1/2 cup of kashi! I haven't had kashi in months. I still have to say I love it. You all are going to get tired of telling you all how much I love food. I can't believe I went so long with the problems I had. I didn't realize while going through it, how big the problem had gotten. I'm hoping that the up in cals doesn't kick me into weight gain. Hopefully I was in starvation mode and my last couple pounds will drop off in return. I've got a million things to do on the computer today so I'm not going to stay here. I'll check back in. I'm leaving tomorrow night after I sub all day so I'm hoping to get my packing done today too. I probably shouldn't have said I would sub tomorrow but I'm so excited to get back into school. Okay...running away. Have a great day everyone.

The weight gain could be from the sodium in the soup. I agree that you just need to eat healthy with the correct portions and the weight will come off. Hormones and sodium can really effect our weight sometimes.

Wow...didn't think THAT would be my title today! This morning I had in mind..."1st day of the Diet" or something else really benign (my insurance requires a 6 month PCP supervised diet/exercise history). OK on with the story. I spent the weekend wildly researching and typing up stuff in anticipation of my PCP appointment today. I put together a form for the Dr. to easily fill in each time. I also put together my family history...wow, was that an eye opener! I woke up nervous...let me back up... I'd been to the PCP last month for my physical follow up. I had just lost 25 lbs. on another low fat diet/fat absorbing pills, so my weight was down some, but I was still Obese (I wanted to make the best case I could to my PCP). My PCP came in and we talked, she supported my looking into the LAP-BAND®® and gave me names of surgeons and I picked up the diet plan to review. Then I went to seminars at two hospitals that are 'Centers of Excellence' for bariatric surgery in town (with my skinny DH) and found out what this was all about...I wasn't certain that I'd be approved by insurance...it's like an evil game. The seminars stated I needed to show I was a diet 'failure', so I quit the diet pills until my official start. I know, this all seems counter-intuitive since I'd just lost some weight, but it's not like I haven't just been a lot heavier, I'm an expert now an yo-yoing...I hate insurance and I'm just starting this (don't they know yo-yoers that are obese have even more health risks?). By the end of the month I was only up a few pounds more (less fast than I normally gain). So I'm back to where I began...I woke up nervous today...weighed myself...quite a few pounds over 35 BMI...but, what if their scale was way different than mine?!...No! I can't be too close to the 35 BMI when I start!!! OK, calm down, I know I've read some things online about this...ankle weights some suggest?...nope, my ethics won't let me go there, sorry...Next-eat a lot before you go...and drink a lot...OK, I can do that...bowls of cereal later I was ready to burst...Next-It's snowing for the first time...layers are good! OK, I need to time the water just right. I had incontinence surgery 3 yrs. ago (hysterectomy and the sling)...let's just say I was back to the Urologist last week and he told me "You're the first patient I've had where the procedure failed! You'll have to use the back door to leave here so my other patients can't see you, Ha Ha!" Lucky me!...I'm not laughing...because if I do...I'LL PEE! Now back to drinking water...water bottle in hand, I get in the car...the Drs. office is 1/2 hr. away...no problem. I'm dancing by the time I get there (the pee dance)! 15 min. wait...I get to the room with the Nurse and she pulls the digital scale to the middle of the open door "I need you on the scale" she yells from outside the room. What?!! Was the scale too close to the cabinet that my fat hips couldn't get on where it was...no?!!! Could we maybe close the door...no?!!! I glance wildly side to side to see who heard and if there was any patient coming down the hall who might be scarred by this site. Right, Left, no one...I can do this. I take off my coat and then she says it..."My you have a lot of layers on!"...."Yeah, it's cold outside." I manage to squeak out. On the scale I go...uh oh...my evil plan worked...too well! AHHH!!! I'm 5 pounds above where I thought I was...my scale at home is too light...I've gained weight (as usual, but are they going to be mad and not support me getting the LAP-BAND®®?)!!! Oh no!!! She flips through my charts. I try to distract her "I feel like I'm back at weigh in's at the group diet meetings-this is so embarressing!" (what did I just say?) Her head doesn't come up from the file...she notices! Are they're going to throw me out in the cold?? She asks me to sit for my Blood Pressure check (it's been high about a year now and they keep talking about putting me on meds.). "Are you nervous?" she asks. "No!" I SCREAM! "Why? Is something wrong?" I blurt! She looks frightened now..."No, your blood pressure is just really high 158/110!" Wild eyes staring into hers I say "Oh, maybe I'm more nervous about the surgery than I think?" She hustles out and closes the door. Oh no! What's going to happen? What's the doc going to say about my weight gain!!!! She's so nice..."Oh, so this will be your first supervised diet/exercise program visit?" she smiles...my heart is starting to calm...No!...she's flipping through the charts!!!...then it happens...I PEE MY PANTS...and once I start it's so hard to stop...SQUEEZE...How many gallons did I need to drink anyway?...SQUEEZE!!! I'd almost forgotten how badly I had to go in all the excitement...she's now talking and looking through my alarming family history...I vaguely remember her talking about hypertension...she's looking through my charts again...NO!...she mentions how long I've had High Blood Pressure...I feel her taking my blood pressure again...then pulling up my pant leg and checking my legs for swelling...NO Ankle weights here!!! (thank God for my ethics)...all I can think about is DO NOT PEE!...next thing I know she's standing at the door beconing me with papers...My mind races...what if I get up and there's a puddle on the table?...darn that evil paper they put on the tables...what to do?...with a smile she waves the form I brought at me...I smile and slowly get up...I turn...I can't believe it...and I say a silent prayer in heaven for the woman (you know it was) who invented the Super-Dooper-Almost-a-Diaper-Pad I'm wearing (which is know hanging heavily low in the crotch of my oh-so-dry pants!). She is walking me back to the reception desk and then presses another paper into my hand...what's this?...a perscription "for your hypertension"....I smile and thank her...(I found out later that this is a comorbidity...I deserve this!!!) I check out..."Where's the ladies room?" I ask.

Wow...didn't think THAT would be my title today! This morning I had in mind..."1st day of the Diet" or something else really benign (my insurance requires a 6 month PCP supervised diet/exercise history). OK on with the story. I spent the weekend wildly researching and typing up stuff in anticipation of my PCP appointment today. I put together a form for the Dr. to easily fill in each time. I also put together my family history...wow, was that an eye opener! I woke up nervous...let me back up... I'd been to the PCP last month for my physical follow up. I had just lost 25 lbs. on another low fat diet/fat absorbing pills, so my weight was down some, but I was still Obese (I wanted to make the best case I could to my PCP). My PCP came in and we talked, she supported my looking into the LAP-BAND®® and gave me names of surgeons and I picked up the diet plan to review. Then I went to seminars at two hospitals that are 'Centers of Excellence' for bariatric surgery in town (with my skinny DH) and found out what this was all about...I wasn't certain that I'd be approved by insurance...it's like an evil game. The seminars stated I needed to show I was a diet 'failure', so I quit the diet pills until my official start. I know, this all seems counter-intuitive since I'd just lost some weight, but it's not like I haven't just been a lot heavier, I'm an expert now an yo-yoing...I hate insurance and I'm just starting this (don't they know yo-yoers that are obese have even more health risks?). By the end of the month I was only up a few pounds more (less fast than I normally gain). So I'm back to where I began...I woke up nervous today...weighed myself...quite a few pounds over 35 BMI...but, what if their scale was way different than mine?!...No! I can't be too close to the 35 BMI when I start!!! OK, calm down, I know I've read some things online about this...ankle weights some suggest?...nope, my ethics won't let me go there, sorry...Next-eat a lot before you go...and drink a lot...OK, I can do that...bowls of cereal later I was ready to burst...Next-It's snowing for the first time...layers are good! OK, I need to time the water just right. I had incontinence surgery 3 yrs. ago (hysterectomy and the sling)...let's just say I was back to the Urologist last week and he told me "You're the first patient I've had where the procedure failed! You'll have to use the back door to leave here so my other patients can't see you, Ha Ha!" Lucky me!...I'm not laughing...because if I do...I'LL PEE! Now back to drinking water...water bottle in hand, I get in the car...the Drs. office is 1/2 hr. away...no problem. I'm dancing by the time I get there (the pee dance)! 15 min. wait...I get to the room with the Nurse and she pulls the digital scale to the middle of the open door "I need you on the scale" she yells from outside the room. What?!! Was the scale too close to the cabinet that my fat hips couldn't get on where it was...no?!!! Could we maybe close the door...no?!!! I glance wildly side to side to see who heard and if there was any patient coming down the hall who might be scarred by this site. Right, Left, no one...I can do this. I take off my coat and then she says it..."My you have a lot of layers on!"...."Yeah, it's cold outside." I manage to squeak out. On the scale I go...uh oh...my evil plan worked...too well! AHHH!!! I'm 5 pounds above where I thought I was...my scale at home is too light...I've gained weight (as usual, but are they going to be mad and not support me getting the LAP-BAND®®?)!!! Oh no!!! She flips through my charts. I try to distract her "I feel like I'm back at weigh in's at the group diet meetings-this is so embarressing!" (what did I just say?) Her head doesn't come up from the file...she notices! Are they're going to throw me out in the cold?? She asks me to sit for my Blood Pressure check (it's been high about a year now and they keep talking about putting me on meds.). "Are you nervous?" she asks. "No!" I SCREAM! "Why? Is something wrong?" I blurt! She looks frightened now..."No, your blood pressure is just really high 158/110!" Wild eyes staring into hers I say "Oh, maybe I'm more nervous about the surgery than I think?" She hustles out and closes the door. Oh no! What's going to happen? What's the doc going to say about my weight gain!!!! She's so nice..."Oh, so this will be your first supervised diet/exercise program visit?" she smiles...my heart is starting to calm...No!...she's flipping through the charts!!!...then it happens...I PEE MY PANTS...and once I start it's so hard to stop...SQUEEZE...How many gallons did I need to drink anyway?...SQUEEZE!!! I'd almost forgotten how badly I had to go in all the excitement...she's now talking and looking through my alarming family history...I vaguely remember her talking about hypertension...she's looking through my charts again...NO!...she mentions how long I've had High Blood Pressure...I feel her taking my blood pressure again...then pulling up my pant leg and checking my legs for swelling...NO Ankle weights here!!! (thank God for my ethics)...all I can think about is DO NOT PEE!...next thing I know she's standing at the door beconing me with papers...My mind races...what if I get up and there's a puddle on the table?...darn that evil paper they put on the tables...what to do?...with a smile she waves the form I brought at me...I smile and slowly get up...I turn...I can't believe it...and I say a silent prayer in heaven for the woman (you know it was) who invented the Super-Dooper-Almost-a-Diaper-Pad I'm wearing (which is know hanging heavily low in the crotch of my oh-so-dry pants!). She is walking me back to the reception desk and then presses another paper into my hand...what's this?...a perscription "for your hypertension"....I smile and thank her...(I found out later that this is a comorbidity...I deserve this!!!) I check out..."Where's the ladies room?" I ask.

I have been banded for 3 years. I have no regrets about being banded. I started out at 241 pounds and now weigh 183 pounds. I was about 15 pounds lighter last year, but I gained some weight back. Even with the weight gain, I have lost over 50 percent of my excess weight. Last Friday, my doctor thought I should get a fill, and I think it is helping. I don't have any complaints about my band. I hate to think about how big I would be if I hadn't been banded 3 years ago. My sister was banded the same day as me. She has done about the same as I have done. We both have lost weight before--but have never kept it off for 3 years. I was terrified of the surgery and the life change, but I am glad that I went through with it.

I have consistently been of the belief that some form of counseling should be considered by all of us while losing the weight, either to figure out what triggered teh weight gain to begin with, or to help us deal with the weight loss and "new us" as it happens. There WILL be emotions revolving around this, whether hormonal or not. Some of us have never been thin. Others haven't been thin in a long time. Still others will be dealing with attention we never had before or haven't had in a long time. And others may start getting attention from the opposite sex while our spouses act like we're a bump on a log. There are a lot of things that will stir around massive weight loss, and I personally feel it is imperative that some form of therapy be involved. I think a lot of people go into this thinking that our problems will all go away as the pounds melt off. As some here have already mentioned, the weight gains we had were indicative of a much deeper issue. Those issues are still there for many of us, simply covered up by a lot of eating and fat. It's like burying a body... it may be out of sight for a time, but once dug up, the "evidence" is still there. I recommend a good self-help book if you can't afford a therapist; or check your church, if you are a member, to see if they offer something. You might even find a therapy organization that has a sliding scale, or Overeater's Anonymous which may be free (sorry, not sure). Anything that helps you uncover the root of your issues will do wonders -- it doesn't have to be a professional. Good luck, MrsFlipFlops. I feel where you're coming from, I really do.

Since the sergery things have been wiered to say the least I have for the most part been losing weight but the week that I start eating regular food I gain weight. I know right. Gained weight? WTH? I have been in the gym busting my tail, I only eat till i am satisfied and I try to make good choices it is kind of hard to deal with but I Soldier on the best I can. I have met some one and things seem to be going great. She is supportive of my band and she treets me great I just wish I could figure out what was the deal with the weight gain it really bothers me to think I am gaining weight after the sergery. Guess I need to watch my self a little better(LOL)

Hi all, my name is Tom. By no means am I new to the Lap-Band, having had mine since November 2003, but I am new to this site. I was banded by Dr. Jeff Allen in Louisville, Ky. and have lost 150 lbs. since my surgery. I've put on a bit of weight lately, but I've had my band deflated as I had major surgery. We just started the process of retightening, and the weight gained is coming back off once again. I'm back down 22 lbs. So we'll get that excess weight taken back off in short order! Just wanted to say hi to everyone and compliment you on the site you have here. Keep up the good work!

OMG...I just thought of another one...from my dad. He is not skinny though. He had always tried to express his concerns to me about losing weight as best he could. Lose weight for your health, please lose weight so that you do not have to be like me, I love you and I want you to be healthy, etc. But one day out of the blue...I guess I had been on a weight gain or something and my dad pulls me over to him. "You know i love ya right?" "yes", I reply...then he says "well I know that you like boys but as your father, I do have to tell you that guys don't like fat girls...I know this because I AM a guy...baby, you have got to lose weight!" I was like "no he did not just go there"!

If you Google "weight gain paxil" you'll see lots of articles like this one: Paxil and Weight Gain FYI, I take Lexapro and weaned myself off to see if it would help me with my weight loss 'stall'....and it did not. My dr. told me that Lexapro is the best one for avoiding weight gain. It might help, but you'll gain it right back when you get back on the pill. I think the hormones in the pills cause you to gain Water weight.

Dear Jeter2: Thanks so much for your reply. I have actually talked to my dr and he gave me the instructions for weaning myself off the Paxil. So, I am in the process of doing that SLOWLY - I get VERY ill if I cut down too much at a time or too fast! My biggest obstacle is that I used to work for my family doctor - the one that prescribed the Paxil 3 years ago. He INSISTS that, if anything, it will have a weight LOSS side effect - but NOT weight gain. And because I can't find weight GAIN as a documented side effect - he refuses to admit that that is even a possibility. I haven't tried any other anti-depressants in the past; but may get up the nerve to ask him for something different - if I can't make it without anything. Thanks again! As for the bc pill - I quit taking it. I see my "girly" doctor the beginning of December so I'll talk to her about other options; however, that one does have documented side effects of weight gain.

Good morning ladies- I am cramping so bad :thumbup:. Still have not seen tom though. My cycle has been so screwy lately. Maybe the weight gain then the losing is throwing my body out of whack. I can not wait to hear about the concert Pamela went to. I'll bet it was so much fun! TracyinKS-how is the unfill so far? Terry-did you make an appt to get a fill before the holidays? Michelle-a closet alcoholic? :w00t: Have a fantastic day everyone :smile2: I will be moving around as little as possible. Maybe a heating pad will help.